A poultry feed system includes of a series of poultry feeders distributed along a horizontal feed tube. Feed is moved through the feed tube typically by means of an auger. The individual feeders are suspended from the feed line by means of a drop tube which is in communication with the feed tube by means of an opening in the feed tube. As feed passes over the opening, the feed will drop through the tube to fill the feeder pan and associated drop tube with feed. As can be appreciated, the feeders are generally filled sequentially, with the feeders at the beginning of the feed line being filled first.
A control pan is placed at the end of the feed line. The level of feed in this control pan is monitored to activate and deactivate the supply of feed to the feeders. Being at the end of the line, the control pan will be the last to receive any feed, so all feeders along the line are filled before the control pan fills up. When the control pan is filled, the feed delivery system is deactivated. The feed system will again be activated to fill the feeders when it is determined that the control feeder has been depleted of a determined amount of feed.
Typical means of detecting the level of feed in a control pan include mechanical switches, proximity switches, paddles, rotating devices, etc., each with their own limitations.